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1950 World Series
The 1950 World Series matched the defending champion New York Yankees against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies had a big lead most of September and barely hung on to defeat the Brooklyn Dodgers after a September slump. The Yankees did not permanently hold 1st place until September 20th, after a season-long struggle with the Detroit Tigers. Background The Phillies, a particularly young team which came to be known as the "Whiz Kids", had won the National League pennant in dramatic fashion on the final day of the season to garner their second pennant - their first in 35 years. Their Cinderella story would end there as the Yankees swept the series in four games for their second consecutive championship, and their thirteenth overall. The final game in the series resulted in the New York Yankees winning, 5–2 over Philadelphia. It was the only game in the series decided by more than one run. Curt Simmons, one of the Philadelphia starting pitchers during the season, had been called to military duty in September and was unavailable for this Series. Phillies ace Robin Roberts didn't start Game 1 because he had had three starts in five days including the pennant winner on the final day of the regular season — played October 1, 1950 (three days before Game 1). Summary AL New York Yankees (4) vs. NL Philadelphia Phillies (0) Matchups Game 1 Wednesday, October 4, 1950 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Because his #1 starter, Robin Roberts, had just pitched in three of the last five games of the frantic 1950 pennant race, Phils manager Eddie Sawyer surprised the world by naming his bullpen ace, Jim Konstanty, to open on the mound for Philadelphia, opposing 21-game winner Vic Raschi of the Yankees. Konstanty was outstanding, allowing just four hits and a run in eight innings, but Raschi was tougher, shutting out the Phils on only two hits en route to a 1–0 victory in the opener. Game 2 Thursday, October 5, 1950 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 20-game winner Robin Roberts and Allie Reynolds both pitched outstanding baseball for nine innings, as strong pitching and stout defense again prevailed in the series. Gene Woodling drove in Jerry Coleman for a Yankee run in the second, and Richie Ashburn tallied Mike Goliat in the fifth, forcing a 1–1 tie which held up through nine full innings. This set the stage for Joe DiMaggio, leading off the tenth inning for the Yankees. With one swing, DiMaggio smashed a home run to left field to provide the difference in a 2–1 extra-inning win for the Yankees as the series shifted to New York. DiMaggio had a hand in holding the Phillies at bay long enough to get his key at-bat. In the sixth inning, Ennis hit a deep fly to center, but DiMaggio made a spectacular over-the-shoulder running catch, near the 400 foot marker at the base of the scoreboard in right-center. This play is far less well-known but was similar-looking to the famous Willie Mays catch in the 1954 World Series. Game 3 Friday, October 6, 1950 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York Phils lefty Ken Heintzelman started the third game vs. Yankee stalwart Eddie Lopat. Heintzelman continued the Phils' great pitching, carrying a 2–1 lead into the eighth inning, when he lost control and walked the bases loaded. Konstanty relieved him and got Bobby Brown to ground to shortstop Granny Hamner, but Hamner misplayed the ball to allow the tying run to score. Russ Meyer came on for the Phillies in the last of the ninth. After retiring the first two batters, Meyer allowed consecutive singles to set the stage for Jerry Coleman, who drove in the winning run with a base hit to give the Yankees a 3–2 lead. The Phillies only previous World Series was 1915, and their next Series was in 1980. Game 4 Saturday, October 7, 1950 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York Phillies starter Bob Miller matched up against rookie Whitey Ford, making his first World Series appearance, as the Yankees tried to wrap up the series in four straight. New York scored two runs in the first inning, and with the help of Yogi Berra's homer, three more in the sixth to take a commanding 5–0 lead. With a 5–0 shutout, the first two Phils reached base in the ninth, before Ford got the next two out. Andy Seminick then flied to left, but left fielder Gene Woodling dropped what looked like the series-ending out, allowing two runs to score. Mike Goliat kept the inning going with a hit, and Stengel removed Ford to bring in Allie Reynolds. Reynolds struck out pinch-hitter Stan Lopata, giving the Yanks a 5–2 win and the World Series victory. Ford was almost 24 years old, although he claimed at the time to be 2 years younger. Jerry Coleman won the Babe Ruth Award, which was the only World Series MVP Award given at the time. (The Sport Magazine MVP Award was not awarded until 1955.) This was the only World Series apparance for Robin Roberts. Composite box 1950 World Series (4–0): New York Yankees (A.L.) over Philadelphia Phillies (N.L.) |}} Earned runs * During the Series, the New York Yankees pitching rotation only allowed three (3) earned runs and finished the Fall Classic with a combined 0.73 ERA. The other pitching staffs with a combined World Series ERA less than 1.00: Notes References *Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series. 1st ed. New York: St Martins, 1990. (Neft and Cohen 230–233) *Reichler, Joseph, ed. (1982). The Baseball Encyclopedia (5th ed.), p. 2158. MacMillian Publishing. ISBN 0-02-579010-2. * External links * 1950 World Series at Baseball-Reference.com * [http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/history/postseason/mlb_ws_recaps.jsp?feature=1950 1950 World Series at WorldSeries.com (MLB.com)] * 1950 World Series at Baseball-Almanac.com * 1950 World Series box scores and play-by-play at Retrosheet.org Category:World Series World Series Category:New York Yankees Category:Philadelphia Phillies